ESA Winter 2023 – eTeknix Has a Speedrunner and He’d Like Your Support!

I have always been a huge fan of speedrunning. I can’t honestly remember when I first got into it, but I have some vague recollection of it being something to do with Dark Souls. Likely the fact that I was impressed that some people out there were capable of beating the entire game in around the same amount of time it took me to merely escape the Undead Asylum.

In the latter part of 2022, however, I did come up with a bit of a wild idea. Why watch people do it when I could, at least in theory, throw my hat in the ring? – Yep, I no longer wanted to just be a bystander, I wanted to see if I could actually get directly involved (beyond donations).

And there was a method behind this apparent madness as I had recently started speedrunning a game. An incredibly old one, but, nonetheless, one I was incredibly fond of. – Robocop on the Atari ST and Amiga.

What? Hey, give me a break! I am nearly 40 you know!

ESA Submission Made – High Hopes, Low Expectations!

So, with a pretty hefty dose of optimism, I put a submission video together and sent it off to ESA (European Speedrunner Assembly). I didn’t expect a yes, but it was at least a toe in the door, right?… Well, you could’ve knocked me down with a feather when, about a month later, I got confirmation that not only had my run made the shortlist, but more so, that it had been officially accepted into the event.

Fast forward around 4 months, and, as I write this now, I’m currently in Malmo Sweden. Yes, I am at ESA Winter 2023 and with less than 24 hours to go until I’m on the big stage showcasing what I’ll freely concede is a pretty crap game! Well, entertainingly crap… I hope…

Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t write this because I want any pats on the back from anyone. I do so more because ESA is a charity event that raises money for an exceptionally good cause, and if you have any love for eTeknix, perhaps you’d at least be willing to check me out during the event, or, better still, show ESA some support!

Where to Watch?

ESA runs two speedrunning events during the year with both looking to raise as much money as possible for Alzheimerfonden. This is a Swedish-based research group that, as the name might’ve already given away, specifically looks to find a cure and/or better treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (more info here). – And this is a major factor in why I decided to try and physically participate in ESA Winter 2023 as my father was recently diagnosed with vascular dementia. No, they’re not the same, but the conditions share a lot of traits and I daresay that any research in the one will undoubtedly help the other! – I can’t deny it, this was a hugely motivating factor for me.

So, when can you see me run? Well, I’ve embedded the live ESA Winter 2023 link in above (direct link here) and, presuming the schedule goes to plan, I’ll be making my run today (Thursday 23rd February) at around 3pm UK time. If GTA San Andreas is on, I’ll be coming after. If Manic Miner is on, you just missed me!

I would absolutely love it though if some of you could drop in an watch ESA Winter 2023. Hell, better still, make a donation if you can. – Failing which though, if you have an Amazon Prime account, remember that this entitles you to a free subscription on Twitch which can be used, at no expense to yourself, to raise money for ESA and Alzheimerfonden.

Sure I’d like some personal love from our eTeknix community, but truth be told, I’d rather you show more love for ESA and the good work we speedrunners (I guess I can say ‘we’ now) are trying to do!

You can find the link to the ESA Winter 2023 donation website here!